Direction signal for automobiles



Nov. 18, 1930. J..F. LYNCH 1,781,853

DIRECTION SIGNAL FOR AUTOMOBILES when@ Jozlfllynch Patented Nov. 18,1930

. nIREcrIoNsIGNALron nurononrnns Y This' invention relates to improvementszin directions'ignal devices for motor vehicles to takethe' place of the hand signals now com- `monly used; 'The "invention also represents developments of and improvements over the movab e type of signal shown in my Patents No. 1,857,504, granted'November 2, 1920, and No. 1,470,236, granted'October 9, 1923; The

principal object-of my. invention is to' provide signaldevices arranged to be mounted both at the' front-andthe rear" ofthe vehicle and to provide `suction-actuated andman'ually controlled means for enabling both signals to be turned Asimultaneously from neutral Sposition to oint either right-orleft at thevoption of the river.V 1 x p r Y* VA furtherobject is Ato provide a lighting system for thesignals so arranged 'thatV the lights AWill be automatically: lit Whenever the signals are turned one'wayor the other, but only at ni ht'when such lights are necessary; and or enablin 'the'same lights to be used for stop 'signal ing. purposesv at :any time regardless of the turning of the signals. A further obj ect of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive "device-and yet one which will` be exceedingly effective for the purposev for which it is desi ed; v i f'lhese objects I accomplish y-"means of suchstructure and relative arrangement of `parts as willfully appearby a perusalof the `following specification andclaim. v In th drawings similar .characters of Vreference indicatezcorrespondlng parts inthe several views: Y i* Fig. 1 is aplan outline o fa motor vehicle showing m signalV arrangement installed thereon' in iagrammatic form. H

the signal membersdetached. Y, v 'f Fig. 3 is a sectionaly elevation of a signal member. A, c t

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4 4 yofFig. 3. Fig. v5 is a top plan view of a suction control ve. f

Fig. 6 is a vertical-section of the valve on the une' 6 6 of Fig.,5. 1 f Fig. 7 is a top planview of the'bodyof-the lvalve with the rotor removed. r l,

" 1 shaft Sfas an'axis.

applicati@ mea n ecemt'er, 27 ,f19aeg1 1 serial fifa 157,111.

, .Figi siga 'rotorQ 'characters of reference `on-.the drawings, I preferably employ two signal units'A, one to endrof va vehicle centrally thereofand the bottom pian View ontstane" Referring now more particularly toathe i loe-installed ina suitable location at the ffront l other-at'the rearjend'ofthe vehicle centrally ithereofg, Eachunit 'comprises a ri id,y verti- :calrasing S1 rigidly mounted on a racket f2 of suitable character vand'fshape suchv as may lbe readily attached Vto a vehicle in the desired 2 positions asf above stated..

` ':Turnably mounted in 'the/casing nearthef top is ahorizontal andlongitudinally extending tubular shaft 3 havingion one. end outsidethecasing asockett to receive .thesleeve 5 on whichthe kturnable signalfelement isf `mounted, the sleeve being fixed in the socket. t

This signal lelement comprises a Vlamp hous ing 6 fixed centrallyfon the sleeve .5 andr'having laf convex curvature'. in a plane longitudiy' fnally` ofv `the' shaft so asvto serve asa reliecvtor, but itsouter periphery being of rectan- -fgular l and relatively narrow form. The

sleeve 5` at itsend inside'the lamp :housing face of thelamphousing -is coveredby a metal by a pane of translucent andv colored lmaterial V`11`.. yThe llamp :housing is y l lnadefso :that vitjnormallyv remains balanced 'with-its-Inajor axis extending vertically as shownin'Fig;v 2, and solthat it'can turn with Fig. 2 is a'perspectivejelevation ofone ofequal facilityon'e'way or the yotherabout the f fMounted on the shaft 43- inside the casing "formsaysupport for an electriclight bulb 7 Hof ordinary form, and at .theother end sup-i `portsa wire terminal plug Sfcontacting with the ba'seof'the bulb. The outer rectangularso Y.

1 is a pinion 12engaged by a vertical rackbar n 13;V y The rack is connected to a piston rod 14 which Vprojectsinto a vertical cylinder 15.y -mountedin the casing, the rod ,having a piston' 16 inside thecylinder. vThese partsare so arranged that when the housing 6. is positioned vertically asabove stated, the rack engages the: pinion substantially `centrally, of hits vlength, 'and the .piston .iis located .in the cylinder centrally of its limits of travel. With the movement of the piston to such limit of travel in either direction the signalv member will be turned one way or the other through a 90 vdegree arc, so that it will be placed in a horizontal position, with the point of thearrow facing eitherto .rightor left. It will therefore be evident that if ajpositive or negative pressure is applied to either end of the cylinder to act on the piston therein, the signal member willbefmoved as above stated. o. i e

To thus actuate the pistl nl'Ilutilize the suctional force constantly had with-the opera-y tion of the engine of the vehicle in the fol" -lowingfmanner.: i. A hollow valve body 17 is provided ,with a clamping bracket 18,0f suitable character so asfto enable the body -to Vbe attached to the lsteeringcolumn ofthe vehicle.V Turnablein the top of the body is a stem 19 connected 2. therefrom. Leading fromthe bottom ,of the oifset relation. The outer ends of both pas- Y vehicle,

"mining a negative 01' SuCt10na1PfeSS11f3- The sucli detail may beresorted to aszdo not form handle that when the latter is ina neutral erating, communication willbeV established to anfoperating handle 20 of suitable length, which is limited in fits turning-movementfby stops 21 andheld centrally between the stops by a spring 22. The. innerend ofthe stem -has opposed lugs l23 whichengage notches cut in the top rim24` of the rotor disc 25.1; The under face of the disc'rests on the bottom of the body chamber and is held with a constant pressure thereagainst by a spring'26 between the stem and disci" The adjacentV faces of the disc andjvalve chamber have'a central depression-'27', that inthe disc having diametrically opposed grooves 2"@ leading outwardly body tothe central depression thereof is a passage 28, while leading from the'body t0 the bottom of the valve chamber outwardly of the central depression are other passages 29 and 30. kThese passageszare arranged 7in symmetrically opposed and circumferentially sages 29 are adapted to be connected ley-flexible tubes 31 to a pipe 32 leading to the botwhile the passages 80 are adapted to be sim- `ilarly connected by tubes l33 to the pipes "34 leading to the top of the cylinders of the signal units. Ay tube Sleads from the central `r'iassage 28'to the vacuum tank 3G ofthe motor or to a similar member normally condisc25 is' so disposed relativelto the stemand or normal position between'the stops 21, the

.'O'rooves 2"a are centrally disposed between the adjacentpassages 29 and A30. Whenthe handle is turned one way or the other the a grooves will register witheither the opposed passages 29 or `3() respectively. It`willtherefore` be seen that when thefhandle is thus turned, andthe engine of the vehicle is opbetween the passage 28 and either the passages29 orY 30 to the top or bottom of the 'as'deiined by the appended claim. c.

nvention what ff signal cylinders.` The suction will cause-ther piston to be drawn up or down and a corresponding movement of the signals will be had. When such suctional communicationis established the other set of passages 29 or 30 are placed in communication with the atmosphere by, holes 37 thronghltlie disc 25', the .body-,of the ing air-,tight- K AThe lightingsystem I employ in 'connec- Y tion with the sign-als is as follows:

a s inside the housing is cuitr isl used, the battery and lamp housing being-grounded'nnthemetal of thel car.l It will thereforebe seen that at theoption of the driver the lights, in ,thepsignalA units may -loe lit at'willl and [at any time, to; giveA a desired signal without moving said un` its, y; Normally disengaged from the contactllOs acontact stripA, vinsulated from lthe strip 41 and havingits-own bindingpost-lf-insiilated from-the binding-post-42, This contafof strip 46 Yis of sucha shape :thatwhen the 7Anal is turned one way or `the o thlerthe loontact willbe broken between themember and lthev strip 41,"and established between saidcontact and the strip 46.rl` Alwire 48 .from

the binding postz47 is connected tothe ta-il light circuit 49 of the. car, so that a current will only pass ftoi the signal `circuit, even though the-,signals are turnedatnight when :the tail-light circuit switch 50 isclosed.; Atom of the cylinders ofthe two-.signal units,

From the foregoing description it will be Areadily seen that I :have produced such. adevice as substantiallyfulfillstheobjects of the a departure from'the spirit of the invention,

I-Iaving thus described my I claim as .new and useful anddesire' by Letters Patent is:

In al direction signal, a' lamp housing, an

tdsecure open-ended sleeve projecting throuicrgh- .the

housing and. secured ,intermediate .its ends l thereto, a rotatable hollow shaft axially aimed with the sleeveoutwardly of thehousing, said shaft being'ofv smaller diameter than the sleeve, a socket onthe 'end of the shaft adjacent the sleeve'andintowhich theeportion'.

valve'above the discnot beof the sleeve outwardlyrof the housn projects, a terminal plugin the sleeve a utted against the-adjacent end of the shaft; the 'f sleeve being also arranged to receive the hase of a lamp-bulb from its ends inside the housingso that said base will engagel the plug and a circuit wire inthe shaft leading tothe I plug;l i 1 In testimony whereof Iaiiix misi t JOSEPH F.v

reture. i Y CH. 

